Best Vampire Romance Books

Paranormal Romance with...Vampires

With the vampire craze over the past couple of years, the market has been flooded with Twilight wannabies and shoddy vampire romance. Despite all the low quality vampire books taking up extra space on the bookshelves, there are a few books that are better than the rest. This is the list of the top 10 best vampire romance books.

Note that while I consider these books to be the best vampire romance novels, I do not consider many of these to be the best vampire books. I suggest you check out my picks for the best vampire books ever written.

For those who love Twilight, the next step should be to read the Sookie Stackhouse novels. The popular True Blood TV series was based on these novels, so if you like True Blood, it’s a given that you should read these novels. The books differ quite a bit from the TV show in that there is more of a focus on characterization of the protagonist as opposed to the supporting cast. Really, the books are an experience that's different from the movie – you can enjoy both without a problem. Overall, there’s just a whole lot more happening in the book than on the TV show (including a bunch of new and interesting supernatural creatures).

The Sookie Stackhouse books have quite a bit of romance thrown into the mix, but unlike the TV series, there’s not as much as rampant sex (and way less than the Anita Blake series). So it’s racy, but not overly so.

For most people, vampire romance novels come down to two players: the Sookie Stackhouse books and the Twilight series. Personally, I prefer the Sookie books because there’s more going on in them than just high schoolish romance.

What's even better is that you can buy the boxed 8 set for under 40 bucks now.

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These are some of the most popular vampire romance books on the market right now. Fans of the Sookie Stackhouse books and Twilight novels will definitely enjoy the Vampire Academy.

So what sets the Vampire Academy apart from all the other vampire romance novels out there? Well for one, the world that's presented is gritty and dark; it's not a nice place to be, everyone is NOT happy, and it's a world where bad bad things can and do happen.

The novel centers on two girls, Rosa and Lisa, who've been on the run from the Vampire Academy for almost two years. The girls are caught and forcibly reinstated at the Vampire Academy.

High school life (with all the typical high school girl drama) ensues. Add to the pair's problems a clan of vampires who want to kill them, and you have an exciting series.

Books in Vampire Academy Series (6)

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Anne Rice is considered one of the pioneers of the vampire genre. The Sookie Stackhouse and Twilight novels were heavily influenced by Anne Rice's’work.

Anne Rice’s most popular work (and perhaps her best) is Interview with a Vampire – book that combines romance, passion, and desire, one of the hallmarks of the now stereotypical vampire character. There was a movie based on the book, but it was a terrible adaptation. The best books in the series are the first three books. After that, the quality of the series goes down.

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With a Martin-esque plot and Jim Butcher pace, The Axe and the Throne is a definite "must read" for even the pickiest fantasy fans.

In his stunning debut, Ireman has built the type of world so vivid and engrossing that leaving it at the end is agony. In spite of leaning toward grimdark, where authors often enshroud every scene in depressing darkness, there is no lack of cheerful moments or brilliant scenery. Yet the pangs of near-instant nostalgia that come after you put down a book like this have less to do with the inspired setting, and far more to do with those who inhabit it.

From savage, unremorseful heroes, to deep, introspective villains, the cast of this story is comprised of believable characters capable of unthinkable actions. And it is these characters -- the ones you wish you could share a drink with or end up wanting to kill -- that forge the connection between fantasy and reality. Keethro, Titon, Ethel, Annora. These are names you will never forget, and each belongs to a man or woman as unique as they are memorable.

No book would be complete without a its fair share of intrigue, however, and there is no lack of it here. Each chapter leaves you wanting more, and Ireman's masterful use of misdirection leads to an abundance of "oh shit" moments. Do not be fooled (or do -- perhaps that's part of the fun) by storylines that may appear trope-ish at first. This is no fairytale.

If you are looking for a romantic vampire horror novel, the Companions of the Night are some of the better books to be found. What’s so good about these novels is that they are both spine jinglingly scary AND pretty thought-provoking too. The plotting and characters are quite a bit more complex than those of the Twilight series.

The novels are packed full of action, romance, suspense, and even a tiny sprinkling of humor. The writing doesn’t descend into overly descriptive paragraphs (cough, Anne Rice) breaking the flow of the story. Companions of the Night makes for a smooth, quick read – one that will keep you entertained, no matter if you’re 15 or 35! This is also a novel and NOT a series, which is a rare thing in the vampire romance subgenre.

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If you are looking for a romantic vampire horror novel, the Companions of the Night are some of the better books to be found. What’s so good about these novels is that they are both spine jinglingly scary AND pretty thought-provoking too. The plotting and characters are quite a bit more complex than those of the Twilight series.

The novels are packed full of action, romance, suspense, and even a tiny sprinkling of humor. The writing doesn’t descend into overly descriptive paragraphs (cough, Anne Rice) breaking the flow of the story. Companions of the Night makes for a smooth, quick read – one that will keep you entertained, no matter if you’re 15 or 35! This is also a novel and NOT a series, which is a rare thing in the vampire romance subgenre.

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These books have been around for nearly a decade now and are still wooing the hearts of millions of women around the world.

Her male heroes are particularly well drawn. One of the problems in the vampire romance genre is that male characters get cast as the typical cardboard character. Sherrilyn Kenyons male characters (the good bad guys), have a breath of humanity in them and this is very refreshing. Though Kenyons heroes are literally Greek gods come to earth, they are more than just good-looking boy toys.

If you are looking for a good vampire romance series with well written characters and good writing to boot, The Dark Hunter novels are some of the best in the genre.

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The Anita Blake series fuses a number of different mythologies together theres vampires, werewolves, and other dark creatures. In an interesting twist, all these creatures of night have been declared legal citizens of the United States. Anitas role is that of supernatural policewoman she hunts down criminal vampires.

The Anita Blake series for those who love passion and sex and mystery novels. These are definitely vampire books for adults and not early teens or preteens! The first handful of books are fairly plot-driven. However, as the series progresses (there are over 20 books), the later books tend to focus more and more on Anitas sexual life. Some people may argue they become porn for women. Whatever you call them, the Anita Blake series have a huge following. So if you want passion, romance, lust, sex and lots of it, and supernatural mysteries to solve galore, Anita Blake takes the cake.

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For a high school angst and vampire romance, you can’t get better than Twilight. This series has millions of fans and has spawned some super popular movies. The books lack the darker edge of some of the other vampire fiction out there, and the books by no stretch of the imagination could be considered horror.

What Meyers does differently from other authors writing in the same genre is that she makes the whole human and vampire romance issue completely human. The fated romance really resonates with women, whether they're young or old! The romance between Edward and Bella is better than a lot of the other books in the genre. Meyers spends a great deal of time slowly building up the relationship between the two characters, imbuing that relationship with a good deal of underlying erotic tension (both characters must maintain a chaste relationship for a long time to prevent catastrophe).

Some marks against Twilight is that the plot is simplistic (arguably boring) and the characters are too simplistic. This is a novel for younger readers (the under 21s), though I do realize that many older women do love the books too.

The books are considered YA, but that doesn’t mean too much – Twilight can be enjoyed by both young and old alike. It’s not a series that most men would enjoy, however.

For a better version of Twilight, I suggest you take a look at the Mortal Instrument series. They are better on every level.

Ostensibly, this is a YA novel, but it does get a bit racy in some parts (not recommended for 12-13 year olds). For those of you looking for a “high schoolish” type novel, the Vampire Academy is one of the best vampire series you’ll find. Just remember, there is much more to the vampire genre than Twilight -- plenty of other great vampire books await.

Books in Twilight Series (4)

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For a cool YA vampire adventure, It'd be hard to recommend anything better than Sweet Blood. This book hands down does the best misunderstood-goth-coming-of-age story. The story premise is really interesting (arguably unique to the genre): a 16 year old diabetic Goth girl slides downhill as she is intellectually seduced by a creepy cyber vampire over the internet.

Sounds kind of creepy and weird right? Well it is, but its a heck of a fun read and a good break from the perfect girl with a few mental problems meets perfect, but bad boy vampire theme thats becoming all too common these days. There is some similarity to the Vampire Kisses series, but in my opinion, Sweet Blood is the more unique and complex novel.

Books in Sweet Blood Series (2)

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Evernight does a good job with the ever popular coming of age theme. The novel wastes no time in sucking the reader right into the middle of the story. You can think of this book as Mean Girls if the mean girls had literal fangs. Poor Bianca is sent to the mother of all private schools, except this is a rather “special” private school where the popular girls have fangs – literally. Plenty of conflict abounds in these novels. Oh yea, there’s plenty of romance (including the tried and true love triangle entanglement) too. If you’re a fan of the Twilight series, you should find yourself right in home (or let’s say “school”) with the Evernight series.

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